Ash in the Haze
by Divine Porcupine
Summary: After a long day of work, Ash returns to her apartment to enjoy Lance's company only to find something greatly amiss. (Pre-movie fanfic, Rated T for substance use/abuse) I might add more to the story if people really like it.
1. Chapter 1

Ash in the Haze

It was just another day of the grueling grind of real life responsibilities for Ash. She hated her job of flipping burgers for some fast food joint she truly detested of, being a vegetarian herself. Riding the subway home, she still had the stench of grease following her despite changing her clothes in the bathroom before leaving.

All she wanted was to come home to her boyfriend and rehearse some of their new musical material together. She was eager to play it for the crowds. Even if it didn't pay much, it felt more earned than her actual job. Though it bugged her a bit that her boyfriend, Lance, would always seem to divide the performance cut unevenly, making the excuse that she made more than enough with her 'fast food gig.'

Lance, unfortunately, didn't have a job and it was felt most in Ash's wallet. As much as her boyfriend was a leech and mooch at most times, she remained faithful, mostly for the band's sake if not for themselves exclusively. Lance was a master at the guitar, sadly he had a nasty habit of recruiting and kicking out new members within the same week. It was a bad sign of things to come, but Ash refused to let the red flags bring her down.

Leaving the subway station, Ash was a few mere blocks away from home. She probably could have had a beater car to drive to and from by now if it wasn't for Lance's financial dependency on her. It was confusing to her, Lance's parents were loaded, but as soon as he left home, he never seen a cent out of them… What she wasn't told from the porcupine's mouth was that he was kicked out of his parents house. They had refused to pamper him all throughout life and decided he should learn the hard way. Of course, being the sly, smooth talker he was, Lance managed to make a sugar mama out of Ash.

Taking the porch steps, Ash fished the apartment keys out of her pocket. The anticipation grew as her fingers were itching to shred on the guitar. She fumbled her keys about, eventually finding the one that would let her into the lobby. Past that door, Ash sorted her keys again to find the one to let her into her own apartment.

Inserting the key, she noticed something was off… The door was unlocked, yet again. "Really Lance?!" Ash muttered under her breath, _How many times do I have to tell you to lock the door?!_ She complained through her thoughts, knowing those words would probably start an argument between them. She had enough of them for a lifetime. Swallowing her anger in the form of a sigh, Ash turned the knob and let herself in.

It was oddly quiet inside. Usually this time of night, Lance would be jamming out at full volume, riling up who knows how many people who were begging the landlord to give them an eviction notice. Ash wanted to invest in some more sound proofing, but who knows how long that would take with Lance's needless expenses. "...Lance?" Ash called out, hoping there would be an answer back.

Closing the door behind her, she could hear the faint sound of music playing from the radio in her room. Some pop punk band playing by the sound of it, Ash assumed. "Lance? You home?" The porcupine called out again. She was surprised when she heard the door burst open from her room, nearly scaring the quills off of her.

"Baaabe!" Lance hobbled out of the doorway, looking as if he found his way into a dentist's secret stash of laughing gas. "What took you so long! I tried ringing your cell but you never answered!" The porcupine came onto Ash with an obnoxious kiss, giving her no chance to respond. She was overtaken by more than just his embrace. His smell and taste had soiled any sincerity of his drunken kiss.

"Geez Lance, what's gotten into you!?" Ash forced the infatuated porcupine from her, Her suspicion grew as she picked up on the fact that something was definitely off. "Geez! You smell like a skunk too! When's the last time you even showered?" She nagged him, only to watch him laugh it off without a care.

"Ash, babe, Chiiill," He placed his palms out in defense, but his face still carried a dirt eating grin. "Look, I met a dude on a local chatroom..." His words were only sparking more anxiety within the porcupine. "He's a drummer looking for a band who _happened_ to hook us up with some goodies... If we let him join," Lance was almost slurring his words at this point.

"Lance, slow down. Where's this _we_ about letting someone join the band!? And Goodies? You look like you got into a fight with a flight of stairs… And lost!" Ash folded her arms, scowling at the giddy porcupine, who was laughing like a hyena at this point.

"Geez Ash, you're such an act!" Lance slapped his knee, almost falling over in the process, he was heavily impaired and it only infuriated Ash more. "But you need to let loose some more, babe," he attempted to lead her with a paw against her shoulder, only to have it shrugged off instantly.

"No Lance, you need to get _your_ act together!" Ash stomped a foot onto the floor, upsetting some neighbors below in the process. She could clearly smell the alcohol over his breath at this point. She was a straight-edge punk-rocker. Never in a million years could she picture herself dating someone who threw their life away into a bottle of booze.

"Haha! You're so right Ash! Let's get together with our new drummer! I'll introduce you!" Lance had completely misinterpreted Ash's words, grappling her tightly by the arm and practically dragging her into her room. Her emotions swirled, furious that Lance would go and invite a total stranger over without her permission, but scared quilless over the fact that whoever this person was, was actually in her apartment with who knows how much illicit crap they smuggled around with them.

Ash couldn't reply, nearly petrified by fear as her feet and legs were the only things moving at this point. She desperately wished this was a dream. Geez, they were only kids! Ash's mind was beyond restless with fright. They might have been old enough to live on their own, but they were still a few years away from drinking age. Last thing Ash wanted on her record was possession of alcohol that wasn't even hers to begin with.

Lance touted his girlfriend through the door, her room was covered floor to ceiling with the smell of marijuana as well as an assortment of beer bottles had littered the floor. "There she is!" A rather lanky possum spoke up. He was sat against the frame of Ash's bed, with a burning joint in his mouth. His jagged, toothy grin was extremely off putting for the sober porcupine. She didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry. She wanted to call the cops, but was deathly afraid they would haul her away all the same just because of association. "Ash was it?" The possum scratched the back of his matted, neon green dyed hair.

"Y-yeah," She kept her words short, not wanting to converse with the possum longer than she had to. She watched him take a long puff off of his joint. He did his best not to hack it back up as he extended a paw out in greeting.

"Name's Serge," he introduced himself with a ditzy smile, he was obviously loaded up with his own supply. There was no way in hell she was going to reach out and shake it. Instead she put a paw up in a lame attempt to wave.

"Nice to meet you," she lied through her teeth, really wishing the creep would just beat it. But before she could bolt out of there, Lance pulled her down to the floor to sit with him and Serge, almost ripping her clothes off in the process. _Sheesh! Could you be any more rough around the edges?!_ She hoped she accidentally quilled him in the process, but by the looks of it, he was unscathed.

Unfortunately for Ash, the smell was more intoxicating at this level, she waved the fumes away, trying to catch the scent that was once her room. Her actions had only made Serge blow another puff in her direction. _Ugh, Why does it smell so much like skunk butt?_ The porcupine held her nose and fanned the smog assault away.

"Come on Ash," Lance started in on her, "it's not gonna kill ya!" He plucked a sealed bottle of pale ale and forced it onto his girlfriend's lap. "Trust me. Now drink up babe," she glared at the bottle in disgust, removing it from her person and setting it on the floor.

"Oh come on now," Serge was mildly offended by her outright refusal. "That's not cheap stuff, enjoy yourself a lil' bit!" He urged her to at least try some. A party was never really lit if someone was still sober, being a cloud of negativity that rained on the parade. _Geez, if it'll shut you up, fine!_ Ash yelled at him in her mind, though her glare was still apparent, if ineffective towards Serge.

She struggled with the metal top on the bottom, nearly cutting herself open trying to twist it off. Lance laughed at every grunt and whine that came out of Ash's mouth. Watching her squirm about trying to open a simple bottle was entertaining to the jerk of a boyfriend. The worn out porcupine called it quits, unable to open the cursed thing without slicing herself open.

"Here, let Uncle Serge help ya out," the possum waved for the ale, fishing out a bottle opener from his pocket in the meantime. Ash didn't want to touch the thing, furious at it and the duo. If Serge wanted it, he would reach for it himself, and that he did. Luckily Serge was riding the buzz smooth enough not to make any fuss over it. "Aaaand- There ya go!" The cap popped off with little difficulty. He passed the bottle back to the unimpressed porcupine.

"Uh… Thanks, I guess," Ash poorly feigned gratefulness. Well it was now or forever be berated by her peers. She took a small gulp straight from the bottle, It went down as sharp as copper, making her want to gag. She held it down just so Lance wouldn't make another rude comment towards her.

"Don't worry," Serge took another drag, "it all starts tasting better after the first one," his words weren't at all reassuring to the porcupine. But as if a shred of luck was on her side, Lance snagged the bottle from her grasp, spilling some as he began to chug half of it down. For a moment, Ash didn't know whether to be offended or relieved. "Geez Lance, save some for the lady!" Serge took the initiative for her.

The bewildered porcupine was going to object to the notion, but ended up receiving the bottle back from her sloppy boyfriend anyways. "Go on Ash, finish the rest off!" Lance pressured her. The smog was getting to her by this point, jumbling her senses slightly. She would hate herself in the morning, probably break-up with Lance some time after, though right now she just wanted to shut them up.

Pinching her nose close, she took in a big breath of air and began downing the rest of the contents one slow swallow at a time. Lance obnoxiously clapped as the last drop was inhaled by his girlfriend. Ash felt sick to her stomach, she hadn't felt this bad about ingesting something disgusting since her parents forced vegetables on her as a young child.

Ash set the bottle aside as she held her stomach, suppressing the urge to spew it all back out. The ale wasted no time going straight from her stomach to her head, making her feel woozy and vulnerable. Paired with the second hand smoke from Serge, it was a tag team match designed to subdue Ash into dust.

Serge popped open another drink for the dazed porcupine, who took it in hand without any question, she remained quiet as she tried to sift through her mind for a solid thought. It was impossible for her to think straight. "You feelin' it now Ash?" Lance's voice rang in her ears, the background music was more apparent than before, screaming in her ears.

"Ugh! Turn that crap off!" Ash flailed an arm at the source of the music, the distortion of the guitars scraping about in her ears. The porcupine usually loved that kind of music, but she couldn't make heads or tails about it in her current state. "Geez! I thought we were gonna be rehearsing Lance! Not getting stoned out of our minds!" Ash blew up and for a moment, Lance was actually stunned from the backlash he received.

"Babe… Chill," her boyfriend's demeanor returned to that of your average doped up stoner. "Maybe lay on the couch for a lil' while," Lance suggested, receiving only an instant's glare from Ash. Setting her bottle down, the porcupine marched off for the door, only to have her boyfriend tug her back. She huffed and turned about, nearly losing her footing in the process.

Despite her blind fury, she spotted Lance, wearing a doofy smile and holding out her drink. "You're gonna need this babe," he wiggled her drink in his hand, unintentionally spilling it over her floor. Ash replied with an irritated groan and left him without a word. He could choke on it for all she cared. She slammed the door behind her, surely increasing her chances of hearing from the landlord. It didn't matter, she almost _wanted_ to get evicted, it would give her more reason to dump Lance on his quills.

Ash fell face first into the couch, she could hear the music being turned up louder. She covered her ears between the cushy armrest and a pillow, hoping to block out the racket. Amidst the flood of emotions raging throughout her thoughts, the porcupine deeply contemplated how the hell she got into this mess. Ash wrestled with the thoughts until they eventually put her to sleep.

She wouldn't be woke up until an hour or so later by her bum of a boyfriend, Lance. "Psst!" The punk tested the waters, whispering to keep quiet, but still wanting to get his girlfriend's attention. "Hey Ash…" He prodded her side with a finger a few times, hoping to gently coax her from her slumber. "Ash, me and Serge are gonna go resupply at his place," his speech was even more slurred than before, "wanna come with?" He was _considerate_ enough to ask.

"Go away," Ash grumbled through the pillow, not yet on speaking terms with Lance. Not until he, and her. sobered up to talk some sense into him. Lance stood stunned for a moment, he was never told that by Ash before, Sadly, the realization only stuck as long as Ash's reply. He shrugged and staggered off, heading for the door.

"Looks like it's just me and you bro," Lance nodded at the possum as Ash peeked through the pillow, watching them make their exit. Ash hoped the poor sap would lock himself out, maybe he could sit outside and think about the mess he made. If she wasn't so dead tired, she would have made sure herself that he would be denied access from her apartment. Sleep overtook her once more, giving her peace for the time being.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Well, here's part two, I'm not sure what to say here to start off, but I took the liberty of giving Lance a surname, hopefully my choice doesn't rustle too many jimmies out there, I thought the name was fitting myself. If by any chance the creators themselves throw the canon surnames out there, I'll edit the story to match. I'll probably add in an epilogue later and maaaybe a continuation post-movie with this story. It's all audience based participation: If that audience wants it, I will deliver. Enjoy chapter two.**

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Ash's cellphone rang and vibrated obnoxiously against her pocket as creeping bits of morning sunlight had pierced through the shades, welcoming Ash into a new day. She was still groggy and in no mood to face what life had in store for her. She grumbled as she tossed the pillow to the ground, there was no way she was going to get back to sleep after experiencing such a rude awakening.

The phone soon went silent, but the grace period didn't last long as it notified the porcupine of a single voicemail. It would continue to plague her periodically if she didn't answer. _Might as well, seeing as I'm already up now_ … Ash grumbled, lifting herself up into a sitting position, She dug out her phone, betting on the fact that Lance needed something from her ASAP,

But her expectations were utterly destroyed when she saw the number. "...Lance's mom? What does _she_ want?" She spoke out loud, shocked that she would get a call from her this early in the morning. Lance's parents loved Ash to death. She was the daughter they wished they always had. Even if Ash's appearance was rough around the edges, she was everything that Lance was not. Sadly, it was another reason that Ash felt she needed to stick around in the relationship.

Though it was a sad fact that Ash couldn't even help their boy become a man. The porcupine sifted over to the voicemail and set it to playback. raising the receiver to her ear, she wasn't prepared for what was to come. "Lance got into a car accident! Oh God!" The voice grieved heavily, and by the sound of it, it wasn't looking too good for Lance's condition. "We're at the hospital right now! There's blood everywhere! Who knows how long he has left!" Her words had the most sobering effect on the porcupine's hangover, causing her to drop her phone onto the couch as the events of yesterday flashed back instantaneously.

Ash was at a loss of words and thought. Lance's mom had babbled on through the tears until the message ended. There was no question about it, Ash had to see him. As much as she wished the worst for him just yesterday, she was completely regretting it today. She gathered her phone into her pocket and bolted halfway for door, only to realize the house still reeked of weed, and she did too. There was no way she was going to present herself like this to Lance's parents.

Retreating back into her room, Ash nearly tripped over the empty bottles left by Lance and Serge. She got mad at the mess for the moment but realized she would clean it up when she got back. Ditching yesterday's clothes, she slipped into some fresh clothes from her closet. To cover her bases, she sprayed herself over with some perfume, but not too much to be overbearing, It was an emergency, not a date.

Looking presentable enough through the mirror, Ash rushed herself through the door, making sure it was locked this time. She headed down for the subway, knowing the wait for the next ride would be the worse part of the trip. The anxiety ate at her, she had to see Lance for herself. Tell him she was sorry. Tell him that she still loved him.

The train rushed in with a blaring horn, ripping Ash away from her dread, if only for the moment. She boarded with the crowd and did her best to hide her emotions away. The porcupine took a seat and kept to herself, even when it turned out to be a crowded ride. Granted, her quills gave her a little extra breathing room, and for good reason.

Blaring its horn once more, the train took off towards its destination. She still waged war with her thoughts and emotions, unable to chase them away for the time being. In the midst of her battle with anxiety, her eyes met with another porcupine, a quite different one at that. His quills appeared more fluffier than hers, but his style was more edgier than her own, dressed more like a metalhead she assumed. He gave an innocent wave and smile her way, though she was in no condition to reciprocate the notion.

 _Maybe another time we can chat it up about music,_ she sighed softly as she awkwardly broke the visual connection. She spent the rest of the ride keeping her gaze away from his general direction. Adding that to her already stressed out plate only made things worse. There was no way she was going to pour all her problems onto a stranger.

Within a few more minutes they had arrived at their stop, Ash would have to walk the rest of the distance there. Her pace was quicken with the urgency of the situation, almost to the point where she was willing to cut through traffic if only to shave some minutes of waiting off. Either way, she would be getting to the hospital by feet or by ambulance.

She pushed through the glass doors and hurried through the lobby towards the front desk, a slender flamingo manned the front desk, she had looked completely disengaged from her job. Who could blame her with how depressing life was around the hospital. Ash caught her attention as the porcupine made her approach, huffing and puffing to catch her breath.

"Excuse me," Ash began, "do you know what floor and room Lance Jameson is on?" She paced in place, ready to take off on a moment's notice. She watched impatiently as the flamingo pecked away on the keyboard, surprisingly fast for just a beak.

"Floor four, room One-Thirty-Five," she replied apathetically, unaware that Ash already bolted for the stairs. There was no time to take the elevator. She might have been a tad short, but she was sure her legs could carry her up the stairs faster than the sluggish rise of the elevator. Keeping an eye on the floors, she busted through floor four's door, hurrying down the halls to find Lance's room.

"One thirty five… One thirty five," Ash muttered and huffed under her breath, glancing back and forth at the plaques on the walls. She had ignored any and all help from any of the employees wandering about the floor, she didn't want to waste her breath. Her attempts of finding the room herself had delayed her a minute or two, but she made it all the same.

"Oh god… Lance," Ash clamped down on her nails, unsure if she really wanted to witness what state her boyfriend was in. _No… I have to do this_ , _Lance needs me,_ the porcupine gave herself a pep talk, enough to stop nervously biting her nails and take the plunge inside. Taking a deep breath in, Ash reached for the door and pushed opened it carefully.

The cries of Lance's mom were the first things her ears picked up, the second being the electronic metronome that was a heart monitor. The sound was enough to show her how grim things really were. Ash hesitated a moment before opening the door the rest of the way.

She was instantly greeted with a mangling embrace from Lance's mom. "Mrs. Jameson..." Was all Ash could meagerly say as his mother cried relentlessly upon her shoulder. She returned the hug, being mindful of the quills. As Mrs. Jameson pulled away, Ash could see the makeup running down the porcupine's face, she was crying all day by the looks of it. Lance's Mom guided Ash towards the back in the room. Mr. Jameson was at a lost for words and appeared just as distraught his his wife.

But what was behind the curtains was even worse. Lance himself was laid up in a gurney, wires and tubes were attached and ran through him to monitor his vitals. Bandages and casts kept the porcupine in one piece, but it couldn't hide all the blood and bruising spread across his body. The sight alone was enough to bring Ash to tears as well.

"L-...Lance?" Ash sniffled, drawing closer to her boyfriend's side. "Lance… Can you hear me?" His eyes remained shut. He was still in a vegetative state, unable to respond. "If you can hear me… I'm… S-sorry, Okay?" She tried to stay strong, but she was one to easily give into emotion. "I didn't mean what I said yesterday!" She held onto his hand tightly with both paws as the tears ran down her face.

Her words had sparked enough curiosity from Mrs. Jameson to hush her blubbering enough to ask, "what exactly did you tell Lance yesterday, Ash?" Her voice expressed her uncertainty, she was brave to ask, but she wondered if she honestly wanted to know.

"...I was mad at him," she kept her head down, unable to look anyone in the eye. She couldn't let the cat out of the bag about what had happened back at her apartment. It would be best to leave it as vague as possible… At least until they found out what was in his system. There would be plenty of explaining to do eventually. "He got together with some stranger online. The guy was trouble when I first saw him… But I couldn't stand my ground, He ended up leaving with him in the middle of the night," her words had devastated Mrs. Jameson as she shrieked in horror. Ash couldn't understand how that news was much worse than what was happening now "...What's wrong?"

"Lance was the only one in the car when they found him!" Immediately Ash knew something was terribly wrong with that statement. It wasn't long before the police got involved. The nervous porcupine did her best to give her side of the story as best she could while covering her bases. It turned out that "Serge" wasn't enough to track the possum down, it was probably a temporary alias being a drug dealer. Drummer? Hell, she didn't even see him with a kit now that she thought about it. The only major detail that stood out that gave her testimony merit was that Lance was found in the passenger side of the vehicle. Serge was still out there, somewhere.

Ash didn't have much hopes of them bringing Serge to justice. It was a wild goose chase that wouldn't get them anywhere in the end. The best they could do now was hope for a speedy recovery and keep a close track of Lance to make sure he wouldn't pull another grievous mistake like that again. She spent the rest of the day at Lance's side, or would have if work hadn't call her in. She was almost tempted to call in sick, but seeing the circumstances, Lance's hospital bill was going to be huge and she would feel awful if his parents had to pay the whole thing.

She left her boyfriend with a gentle kiss on the forehead before heading off back home to get ready for her job.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Sorry for this slow and small update. Life's been happening at full force lately, FanfictionNet is definitely not the place to air out dirty laundry. Anyways, this is the end of the pre-movie story, I might add the post-movie story if people are still interested, no promises on a swift delivery however.**

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Life shifted back to normal at a snail's pace. Lance had gotten an earful from his mom when he came to. He was just happy to see their faces again, especially Ash's. "Geez Ash, are you actually crying?" He felt her tears drip onto him when she embraced him heavily, Causing loads of discomfort. She would never admit it to him to his face, but yes, she was bawling her heart out.

It was only the beginning of their struggles. During the recovery, Lance battled with the court systems originally looking at some hard jail time for his actions. Thankfully, with the help of his parents and some of their shady bribery, he was able to get off with a few months of community service. It would be a struggle to complete it in his condition but the judge was kind enough to delay it until he was physically able to.

Though it didn't hurt to have Ash basically do half of it for him while he was still wheelchair bound. And for once, Lance was actually grateful for her help. Ash was there by his side to help with any little task that Lance needed help doing, even if it meant the occasional bathroom break and sponge bath, Ash stuck through thick and thin.

Her dedication to his recovery had caused Ash to lose her job, it was hard to juggle that and caring for her boyfriend who refused to go back to his parents. Speaking of them, they had visited Ash's apartment almost daily, but eventually the times they would pop in died down as Lance's recovery was improving. They offered to help support them in any way until Lance was back on his feet once more.

Their offer had Ash feeling bad, but she had no other choice at this point. Their relationship would have been on the rocks if she didn't have a source of income. Their bills and expenses were paid with no strings attached and the two couldn't be any more happier. Ash wondered if this is what being retired and married felt like.

Though their ship could only sail so far before they found themselves in the same rut again. Lance recovered his way back into sinking hours into his guitar and video games while Ash was the all-in-one workaholic around the house. Luckily Lance's parents were gracious enough to wait on cutting their flow of cash until one of them got a job.

As expected, it was Ash who wore the pants in the relationship. She was lucky enough to snag an opening at a sandwich shop. It was about the same pay as her last job which was a surprising relief, but not enough to whisk them back into retirement land… Or at least not Ash. Lance was still there apparently, which had Ash envious of her boyfriend. It didn't seem fair for him to slack off as much as he did.

Eventually she was able to coax him into doing some more gigs to get him at least moving about outside again. Even if they were playing old material, it was still a start. Soon enough they began collaborating again, and in those moments, Ash felt a reconnection with Lance once again. Enough to write up some silly love songs. Unfortunately. none of them would see the light of their setlists seeing as Lance thought they were too cheesy to be punk and outright refused to play them.

His opinion really left Ash's heart scarred, but she held those song close to her and relished in them when she felt weak or lost in their relationship. They lost value as she found herself clinging onto them for too long. Eventually her own ego took over, in order to combat Lance's. Each show they played she would slowly overstep her boundaries and try to rob Lance of the limelight in order to put him in his place.

Her actions weren't without consequence, Lance picked up on her motives after the first few gigs. And he wasn't afraid to speak his mind. "You're the backing vocals, Ash! Or did you forget that?" He scowled every time she pulled her risky stunt. Unbeknownst to him, Ash was a real crowd pleaser and was able to squeeze out a bit more pay from the venues. It was a shame Lance couldn't see his girlfriend's potential and never would until that fateful day….


	4. Chapter 4

Ash's life after her big break with Moon Theater had propelled her on the road for success. It didn't give her a mansion, but she was able to quit her day job at the least. The porcupine was a returning act for the theater, rocking the crowd with her voice and guitar, but her one hit wonder _Set It All Free_ would only go so far before it inevitably burnt out. Luckily, she already knew this once she went big, already using the opportunity to collaborate songs with her new friends.

Her new line of songs were received with mixed reactions, though she was never booed off stage. If she really wanted to get the crowd back, she was going to need some punk rock help, but the only person she knew of was that cheating leech of a boyfriend of hers. She'd rather have an emotional mishap on stage than talk to his face again.

It also didn't help that her older fans questioned her about the sensitive subject, adding that they sounded better together, coming off more raw and meaningful. It was always something she wrestled with in her down time, twiddling away with her guitar. Hitting it big felt more trouble than what it was worth. She needed Lance's talent. He was the yin to her yang when it came to musical creativity. They probably butted heads more times than the gigs they played, but it always produced nothing less than the music that rocked the house.

She couldn't put her feelings aside for the band's sake. Ash was obviously wronged by her ex-boyfriend and there was no way she was going to forgive him. ...Or was she? Looking into the eyes of an unexpected visitor at the door, it was none other than the rockin' porcupine himself, Lance. They were both dumbfounded in each other's gaze, Lance working up the right words to say and Ash hesitating slamming the door right on his face.

She was halfway with shutting the door before Lance interrupted, pushing against her force. If there was something for him to say, now was the time to say it. "Wait!" He pleaded, his mind racing for something meaningful to express, anything to buy more time. But Ash's patience wasn't one to be tested as she increased her grip, readying to give one final shove. "I'm sorry Ash!" He grunted, fighting against her weight.

"So?" She stopped briefly, humoring him long enough to let him have one response. Her glare intimidated him, but he persisted, wanting to get through to her. Lance hadn't felt this desperate in years, he needed her back. If not as his girl at least as his friend.

"I was wrong to just throw you away like that! I was jealous okay! I wanted to make it big too! ...I just wasn't thinking right." Lance belted out excuse after excuse. Honestly, It felt nice to see the porcupine grovel in regret. Ash hid her smile behind a disguising paw, not wanting her ex-lover to see her enjoyment.

"And what happened to Becky?" She prodded him further, hoping to see him roast inside. "She find out what a cheating loser you really are?" Ash assumed there was ulterior motives to Lance's little stunt. She'd rather be caught dead and naked than hook back up with him.

"...She left me when she found your stuff in my playlist," Lance sighed in regret, still feeling the cuts of Becky's erratic break up as if it happened yesterday. "Ash… I was stupid to leave you. I miss my partner in crime… And I realized I never found anyone who connected with me on all levels like you have." It was difficult for Lance to look her in the eye.

Ash would have been lying if she said she wasn't conflicted over his words. She swallowed hard, pressing a foot into the floor as she stood her ground. Her conscience constantly reminded her not to buy into his banter, that her life would be fine without him. "You know I'm not taking you back, right?" She was strong enough to utter those words at least.

"That's not what I want Ash!" Lance felt insulted that she would even assume such a thing. "I just want to make music with you again!" He admitted, red in the face. It must have sounded so stupid coming from his mouth, but it was another astonishing statement ringing in her ears. "Becky ruined me so bad with her tasteless radio pop-rock crap! I can't even hold a gig by myself anymore without getting something thrown in my face!"

"... And how do I know you're not just trying to ride off of my fame?" Ash stuck to her guns, she was going to milk this for every ounce she could get. Her question had Lance mentally petrified for a few moments, unable to process it.

"...It's not about the fame… It's about us and our music… Ash," he tried to get through to her. Unfortunately, Ash wasn't buying it. She found the opportunity to catch him off guard and shut him outside completely. "Come on! Ash! Please! … Just think about it!" He pounded on the door a few times as she locked and bolted the door shut.

"Go away Lance!" She wanted to pull herself away, but she also wanted to hear him squirm. He got what he deserved and she was lucky enough to be able to bear witness to it. "Go find someone else to lead on!" Surprisingly, Ash got the last word in… There was nothing Lance could say to that. Instead, he slid something through her mail drop and walked away.

Ash glanced down to spot an envelope. _God, if this is some sort of sappy written love letter, I'm gonna puke_ … She thought as she picked it up. Her paws could feel something more than just paper was inside. Her mind grew cautious to the contents lurking within. Using a claw, she carefully sliced the envelope open, finding only a cheap looking flash drive inside.

 _Sheesh, couldn't even afford the time to actually_ write _a note_. Ash felt a bit offended… But figured she would investigate what was on the piece of scrap anyways. She made her way back to the couch and dragged her laptop over, plugging the flash drive in and waking it up from sleep mode. It didn't take long for the laptop to recognize the new files. She opened the folder, seeing one video, multiple pictures, and one text file at the end.

 _Geez, I'm gonna be here for a while_ , Ash rolled her eyes slightly as she skimmed over the thumbnails of the pictures. They were all photos of them together, or photos Lance took of her back when they were together. She didn't know if she was flattered or creeped out. Holding her breath, she reluctantly clicked on the video. _I swear if this is cringy as hell, I'm ripping this out and lighting it on fire!_ She thought as the video briefly loaded.

The camera was centered on Lance, sitting on his bed at his parents house. From the look of things, this had to be filmed pretty recently. He held a guitar in his hands, all ready to play. "Alright, here it goes…" He glanced down at his guitar, making sure he had his fingering correct. "This one's for you, Ash," he peeked back up at the camera, his face a bit red, either from embarrassment or from frustration that was unseen.

Ash kept her expectations low as Lance began to strum away. The occasional mistake popped up every now and then during his intro. _Wow, Becky must have_ really _had her way with how he played…_ The porcupine bit her lower lip, trying not to wince at his honest attempt. Though as the song progressed, it sounded oddly more familiar. She couldn't place her finger on where she heard it before. It didn't strike her until the vocals timidly poured in.

"That's my song!" Ash blurted out loud. It was a song she written for Lance long ago when they were madly in love with each other. Lance thought it was a steaming pile at the time and gave it no thought... But to hear him sing it now, word for word, Ash was more conflicted now than she ever was before. "How did he remember?!" The subtle mistakes he made while playing it didn't matter anymore at this point. She needed to talk to him, tell him she was sorry for giving him the cold shoulder.

But before she could call, she remembered there was one last piece to the flash drive she needed to check out. She clicked on the file, watching it plaster to the screen in an instant. Of course it was a dumb letter, Ash felt herself tear up a little as Lance played on in the background...

 _To the most important girl in my life…_

 _I screwed up, I didn't realize what a blessing I had in my life until it was all gone. I let what I wanted clouded what I needed. And Ash, I need you. I miss those days where we'd rock the crowds, get the cops called on us for noise pollution, hell… Even all that time at the hospital, I'd swear you were always by my side when I was laid up in bed. I wanna feel like I'm alive again, you're my life Ash. I miss you._

 _-Lance_

Ash felt a swirl of emotions in her chest, stomach, and head. She had to call Lance, talk to him, tell him she was sorry too. Pulling out her phone, she flipped through her contacts searching for Lance's number. "Dammit, I forgot! I deleted it!" She cursed at herself, unable to remember the number by heart. There was no time to deal with the hoops of unblocking him on social media, she had to talk to him now! Without a second thought, she tossed the laptop aside, grabbed her keys, and took off.

* * *

 **AN: I didn't think I'd pick at this story again, but here I am doing it. Life hasn't been so good to me lately, and I refuse to bring myself to write my original content feeling like this. So I guess I decided to keep myself productive and continue this train wreck seeing as it has a small following. Also got my copy of Sing still sitting on my shelf, unopened... Just wish things were actually peaceful for once so I can sit and refresh my memory of the whole movie. Anyways, I got a few more ideas for this story still, though I don't see it lasting much longer. Enjoy it while it lasts.**


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